Hot Garbage, Erika Angell, Packs, and SENTRIES
Hot Garbage - Precious Dream
Toronto’s Hot Garbage are way up on the list of the best bands in Canada. Dark post-punk aesthetics, chugging krautrock rhythms, and far-out psychedelic-garage-rock come together in a cacophony of chaotic bliss. The new album, Precious Dream, pushes the band's sonic exploration to new heights. From the driving pace of “Mystery” to the slow burning acid trip of “Tunnel Traps”, this new record finds Hot Garbage at their very best.
Erika Angell - The Obsession With Her Voice
Erika Angell delivers her debut solo album after years of critical acclaim for her main project, Thus Owls. Open your mind to an experimental and sometimes improvisational approach to art. Angell’s voice soars and is punctuated by silky synths, subtle strings and off-kilted percussion that come together to create an eerie, avant-garde triumph.
PACKS - Melt the Honey
The project of Toronto’s Madeline Link has been wooing us with their brand of quirky, lo-fi, rock/pop since the release of their debut album in 2021. The latest record is more polished and easily their best work to date. Sometimes cleaning up recordings can take away the charm for an act like PACKS but that doesn’t happen in this case. Instead, Melt the Honey solidifies PACKS' ability to write extremely catchy tunes and that ability works just fine with some more refined production.
SENTRIES - Snow as a Metaphor for Death
SENTRIES are a Lethbridge noise-punk band composed of Kim Elliot… and that’s it. The latest release from this one-person act has been in my mind for months. It’s got everything I love in a noisy album. Blistering sonic exploration, jagged guitars, explosive drums and (most importantly) some form of hookiness hidden under the wall of noise. Snow as a Metaphor for Death is truly amazing, but you’ll need to look past the couple songs that sail a little too close to the tsunami that was Gilla Band’s Most Normal.
- Jeff MacCallum